Reflecting on the Past
by Canon Archives
Summary: Yes, it is another movie watching fanfiction. But I assure you this one is different! It is just the six dragon riders and their dragons, after the events of the first movie, watching and reflecting on what has happened in the past few months. I wanted to make it relatively good quality and really show how the characters would react if they watched Hiccup's story. Please read!
1. Chapter 1

_Okay here's the deal. Everyone loves to write watching the movie fanfics. But most of them are very unrealistic and everyone is out of character and coming from weird points in the time line... it always bothers me, so I decided to write my own. This is just going to be a simple way for the six dragon riders to reflect on Hiccup's story. They are watching HTTYD 1 a little while after the events of the first movie, so their reactions can be genuine and appreciative, and they can learn first hand exactly what happened when they weren't looking._

_Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, everything in bold is from the movie/movie script and belongs to Dean Deblois and Chris Sanders._

* * *

Prologue:

The six young dragon riders were chilling at the dragon academy with their dragons, having just finished one of Hiccup's dragon training lessons. It had only been about a month since the dragons had all moved in, and things were still pretty chaotic in the village.

"I just had an idea," Tuff announced. He was laying on the ground next to Belch, his sister annoyingly poking him in the stomach. "Wouldn't it be cool if we could look into a magic portal and see our past?"

Everyone turned to look at him skeptically.

"Yeah," Ruff agreed. "We could watch that time I tricked you into dunking your head into a bucket of _yak_ piss when we were _four!_"

"We could watch the day I wrestled a bear and became an official Jorgenson," Snotlout suggested, flexing his muscles.

"In order to see our past, we would have to be able to time travel," Fishlegs said anxiously. "And if we time travelled, we could accidentally change something in our past, and _that_ could completely change our present, and _that _could completely change our future, and – "

"That's completely impossible guys," Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Actually," Tuff continued, "I was thinking it would be awesome if we could all watch how Hiccup trained Toothless without _anyone_ knowing for _weeks_," he emphasized. Everyone looked at Hiccup, who just shrugged.

"You guys were busy training to fight dragons," Hiccup said as Toothless nudged his hand asking for a head rub. "No one ever paid me much attention anyway, so it really wasn't that hard to keep it a secret."

"Except that you kept mysteriously beating everyone in the training arena, even though you can barely lift an axe," Astrid punched him teasingly on the shoulder.

Hiccup winced. "Yeah I knew you were getting suspicious," he said.

"I guess it _would _have been pretty cool to witness the first dragon trainer of Berk learn how to train dragons," Astrid admitted. "It's too bad we missed it."

"What if I told you you still could?" A dark-haired girl approached the group from behind them, who looked about the same age as the teens.

"Who are you?" Hiccup asked the girl.

"My name is Rachel," she said. "I am visiting Berk for only a short time. I come from a distant village called San Francisco."

"I've never heard of that tribe," Astrid said.

"Wait," Tuff said. "Did you say that we _could_ see into our past through a magic portal?" He asked excitedly.

The girl nodded, in all seriousness. "If you would like, I can show you moving pictures of exactly what occurred in Hiccup's life in these past few months."

Everyone stared at Rachel. "Cool!" Ruff and Tuff exclaimed simultaneously. "I am _in!_" Tuff added. "Let's do it!"

Astrid crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You can't be serious," she said.

"I promise you, I am," the girl replied. "I can prove it." Rachel snapped her fingers, and suddenly the group was no longer in the dragon training academy, but in a dark room. They all sat in strange cushy chairs, and in front of them was a large white rectangle on the wall. Astrid screamed.

"Oh my gods what is happening!" She screeched.

She wasn't the only one who had screamed though. Snotlout was still screaming like a girl and looked like he was going to hyperventilate.

"This is impossible," Hiccup said in awe.

"It's incredible!" Fishlegs agreed with a big smile on his face.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Tuff pumped his fists in the air. "We just teleported!"

The dragons had all been teleported as well, each sitting on the floor behind their riders. Toothless lay at the end of the row next to Hiccup's chair. They all looked very alarmed.

Rachel stood in front of them, and walked over to the white rectangle. "You asked to see Hiccup's past," she said, touching something on the wall, "And that is exactly what I am going to show you."

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_A/N: The movie watching will begin in the next chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Again, I own none of this! Everything in bold is from the movie/movie script, which belongs to Dean Debois and Chris Sanders._

_A/N: I hope you like it! My goal was to show in-character reactions to everything happening in the movie and to make it as realistic as possible. It's supposed to be kind of like if you were to watch an old video tape of yourself, where you know what's going to happen and you can reflect as you go._

* * *

An image appeared on the white rectangle, and the audience members gasped in amazement. **_(It looked like they were soaring over the ocean at night, moving quickly through a low cloud. The island of Berk could be seen in front of them.)_**

"This is impossible," Astrid murmured again, wide-eyed.

Then, Hiccup's voice came booming from the image:

**Hiccup: This, is Berk.**

Everyone gasped again, most of them turning to look directly at Hiccup sitting in the audience. He was just as wide-eyed as everyone else.

**Hiccup: It's twelve days North of hopeless, and a few degrees South of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery.**

**_(A wave splashes up towards the screen)._ **The audience members cringed, surprised that they didn't feel themselves get wet. **_(The image moves over the island, showing all the houses of the village nestled into the hillside.)_**

**Hiccup: My village. In a word, sturdy. It's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets.**

**_(The scene shifts to show several sheep grazing in the grass.)_**

**Hiccup: The only problems are the pests.**

**_(A dragon claw swoops down and suddenly snatches one of the sheep from the ground.)_**

**Hiccup: You see, most places have mice or mosquitos. We have...**

**_(The image changes to show Hiccup opening the door from inside his house, revealing a full-fledged dragon raid occurring outside. The on-screen Hiccup quickly slams the door shut again as a Monstrous Nightmare sends flames straight towards the door.)_**

**Hiccup: "...dragons."** **_(he looks straight out at them from the screen. He reopens the sizzling door and leaps off of the front porch.)_**

"This is so weird," audience Hiccup whispered to Astrid next to him. She shook her head in disbelief as well. It was the strangest thing for Hiccup to watch himself in the past.

**Hiccup: Most people would leave. _(Dragons set the ground aflame and stole away sheep.) _Not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness issues.**

**_(Vikings were shown fighting attacking dragons. One flew by in a brawl with a Gronkle. On-screen Hiccup leaves his house and weaves through the erupting mayhem. He runs through the chaos.)_**

**Hiccup: My name's Hiccup. Great name I know. But its not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.** **_(The boy is knocked to the ground, and the image shows one of the villagers leaning over him with an axe, letting out a war cry.)_**

"Woah!" Fishlegs exclaimed in the audience.

**Viking: "Mornin'!"**

**_(On-screen Hiccup continues to run through the battle, passing villagers that the teens all knew.)_**

**Hoark: "What are you doing here?"**

**Burnthair: "Get inside!"**

**Another Viking: "What are you doing out?"**

**Phlegma: "Get back inside!"**

**Stoick: "Hiccup!" _(Stoick appears on screen, snatching his son from the ground by his vest with one hand.)_ "What is he doing out agai- what are you doing out? Get back inside!"**

"Oh man, Hiccup," Tuff laughed. "Your dad can pick you up with one hand like that? How much do you actually weigh?"

Hiccup winced, while the other young Vikings chuckled.

**Hiccup: That's Stoick the Vast. Chief of the Tribe. They say when he was a baby he popped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders. _(Stoick grabs a fallen cart and throws it at a flying Nadder.)_ Do I believe it? _(Beat)._ Yes I do.**

"Ha!" Snotlout exclaimed. "You actually believe that, Hiccup?"

"Well, when you look at how Stoick is now, it's not really too hard to imagine," Fishlegs justified.

**Stoick: "What have we got?"**

**Viking: "Gronkles. Nadders. Zipplebacks. Oh, and Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare."**

**Stoick: "Any Night Furies?"**

**Viking: "None so far."**

**Stoick: "Good."**

**Another Viking: "Hoist the torches!"**

**_(Massive flaming braziers are raised on poles, lighting up the night sky... and revealing swirling dragons of all types. Below, Hiccup crosses an open plaza and ducks into an open building with a tall chimney.)_**

"Wait," Astrid said to Hiccup next to her. "Is this the raid when – "

"Yeah I think so," Hiccup answered her unfinished question. He gave Toothless a scratch on the neck and the dragon hummed reassuringly.

**_(Hiccup crosses behind the blacksmith counter, where Gobber reshapes blades with a hammer and tongs appendage.)_**

**Gobber: "Ah! Nice of you to join the party. I thought you'd been carried off."**

**_(Hiccup dons a leather apron and starts to put away Gobber's scattered appendages.)_**

**Hiccup: "Wha - Who me? Nah, come on! I'm way too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all this." _(He strikes a bodybuilder pose.)_**

Ruffnut snicked. "Don't even try, Hiccup," she said.

"Yeah," Snotlout agreed. "It doesn't work on you at all. _Me_ on the other hand…" he flexed his arms and kissed his biceps, winking at Astrid.

"Ugh," Astrid gagged, rolling her eyes.

**Gobber: "Well, they need toothpicks, don't they?"**

**_(Hiccup gets to work, transferring bent and chipped weapons to the forge as Vikings crowd the counter for replacements.)_**

**Hiccup: The meathead with attitude and interchangeable hands is Gobber. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well...littler. _(He places the broken weapons into the forge and uses his entire body to blow air onto the fire.)_**

**Stoick: "We move to the lower defenses. We'll counter-attack with the catapults."**

**_(Armed men rush past, flanking others who carry sheep to safety. Stoick follows up the rear as, overhead, a dragon strafes the rooftops with Napalm-like fire.)_**

**Hiccup: See? Old village. Lots and lots of new houses.**

**Viking: "FIRE!"**

**_(In response, the fire brigade charges through the plaza - four teens, tugging a large wooden cask on wheels. From it, they fill buckets of water to douse the flames. One among them is a cute, energetic Viking girl. Hiccup leans out of the stall to watch her.)_**

**Hiccup: Oh and that's Fishlegs, Snotlout. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut. And... (dreamy) Astrid.**

**_(A slow-motion explosion erupts behind her, framing her in a sexy ball of fire. The others join her, looking awesome and heroic.)_**

All of the teens in the audience were laughing at this point, while Hiccup turned away and covered his face, blushing like a maniac. Astrid was blushing too, but smiled at the embarrassed Hiccup.

"Way to announce your crush, Hiccup," Tuffnut said.

"I know," Ruff agreed. "I don't think you can get any more obvious than that."

"Game on, Hiccup," Snotlout said, nudging Astrid suggestively. "Game on!"

Astrid punched him in the stomach. Hard.

**Hiccup: Their job is so much cooler_. (Hiccup tries to join them as they pass, but he's hooked by Gobber and hoisted back inside.) _"Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark."**

**Gobber: "Oh, you've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places."**

**Hiccup: "Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date."**

**Gobber: "You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an axe," _(he grabs a bola)_ "you can't even throw one of these."**

**_(A Viking runs by and nabs it out of Gobber's hand, hurling it at a dive-bombing Gronkle. The bola binds its legs, sending it into a heavy crash.)_**

The teens in the audience cringed at the painful cry of the dragon.

**Hiccup: "Okay fine, but..." _(He rushes to the back corner of the stall and presents a bizarre, wheel barrow-like contraption.) _"... this will throw it for me."**

**_(Hiccup taps the hinged lid of the device. An arm springs up equipped with twin bows. They prematurely launch a bola, narrowly missing Gobber... and taking out a Viking at the counter.)_**

**Viking: "Arggh!"**

**Gobber: "See, now this right here is what I'm talking about."**

**Hiccup: "Mild calibration issue – "**

**Gobber: "No – Hiccup. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all..." _(Gobber gestures in Hiccup's general direction.)_ "... this."**

**Hiccup: "But you just pointed to all of me."**

**Gobber: "Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you."**

Fishlegs face-palmed. "What kind of awful advice is that, Gobber?" he moaned.

Astrid snickered. Snotlout snorted.

**Hiccup: "Ohhhh..."**

**Gobber: "Ohhhhh, yes."**

**Hiccup: "You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw..._Vikingness_… contained." _(Beat)_ "There will be consequences!"**

"Hell yeah there will be," Astrid smiled proudly at Hiccup next to her, who sheepishly smiled back.

"Raw Vikingness?" Snotlout snorted. "Seriously Hiccup, you need to look in the mirror."

Astrid punched him in the stomach again. Hard.

"Does someone want to switch seats with me?" He asked weakly, holding his stomach painfully.

**_(Gobber tosses Hiccup a sword.)_**

**Gobber: "I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now."**

**_(Hiccup takes it begrudgingly and lobs it onto the grinding wheel. He stews... fantasizing...)_**

**Hiccup: One day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here.**

Hiccup heard Toothless let out a surprised hum next to him. It was hard to believe that he had ever fantasized about killing dragons. But now he was feeling guilty, and a bit nervous about how Toothless would react. The dragon hadn't known him when he was still so ignorant and desperate to prove himself. Obviously, Hiccup had changed his mind the moment he saw Toothless, but it was still uncomfortable to hear himself talk about dragons like that.

**_(Nadders land, gathering like seagulls around a seemingly vacant house.)_**

**Hiccup: A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed.**

Stormfly let out an alarmed squawk. She also was surprised to hear Hiccup talking about dragons in this manner. Astrid murmured soothing words to her dragon.

**_(The Nadders clamber onto the building, tearing the roof and walls apart. Sheep pour out and SCATTER. Elsewhere, hippo-like Gronckles pick drying racks clean fish and fly off like loaded pelicans.)_**

**Hiccup: Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend.**

Meatlug gargled nervously at the prospect of being killed for status purposes. Fishlegs gave his dragon a loving hug.

**_(A Zippleback head peeks over a rooftop, breathing gas into a chimney.)_**

**Hiccup: A Zippelback? Exotic, exciting. Two heads, twice the status. **

"Yeah!" Ruff and Tuff both exclaimed.

"Still so true," Tuff said

"Two heads are way better than one," Ruff added.

The two of them butted helmets together.

**_(A second head pokes through the door and lights it. KABLAM! The two heads fly through the explosion, their necks zipping together to reveal a single body. It flies past Stoick as he climbs to the top of a CATAPULT)_**

"Barf, Belch," Tuff turned to their dragon. "You wanna try making an explosion like that after we finish watching this?"

"I'd rather you not," Hiccup eyed him in warning.

**Viking: "They found the sheep!"**

**Stoick: "Concentrate fire over the lower bank!"**

**Catapult operator: "Fire!"**

**_(Boulders are catapulted at the corralling Nadders… Just as a huge Monstrous Nightmare whips past, spraying the base of the catapult with sticky fire.)_**

**Hiccup: And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.**

**_(It emerges from the flames, climbing the catapult with a leering, toothy grin.)_**

"Would you look at that," Snotlout said smugly. "Hiccup is admitting to how much better me and Hookie are compared to all of you. _Uh!_" He struck a muscle pose.

Astrid lifted her fist to punch him again, and Snotlout flinched away from her, holding his arms around himself protectively. She relented and settled for just shooting him an annoyed glare.

**Stoick: "Reload! I'll take care of this."**

**_(Stoick takes on the Nightmare, face to hammer.)_**

The audience members all cringed as they watched the harsh beating of the dragon.

"Oh gods," Astrid murmured sympathetically, struggling to even look at the screen.

Toothless let out a very quiet whimper, just loud enough so that Hiccup heard it. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, knowing that what was coming was going to be much harder to watch.

**Hiccup: But the ultimate prize, is the dragon no one's ever seen. We call it the – **

**Viking: "Night Fury!"**

**Another Viking: "Get down!"**

**_(Suddenly, a LOUD BALLISTIC MOANING streaks overhead. The catapult crew ducks. Vikings everywhere take shelter. The moaning sound BUILDS. The Monstrous Nightmare suddenly stops fighting and takes flight. Stoick and Hiccup look skyward.)_**

**Stoick: "JUMP!"**

**_(KABOOM! The Catapult EXPLODES as though hit by an artillery shell... sending Stoick and the crew leaping for their lives.)_**

**Hiccup: _(looking eagerly out the window of the blacksmith shop)_ This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and...**

**_(The sound recedes, leaving the crippled catapult in flames.)_**

**Hiccup: ...never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first.**

Toothless glanced back at Hiccup, who had a pained expression on his face. The dragon cooed, and moved to place his chin on the boy's knee. Hiccup rubbed the top of the dragon's head, feeling the guilt weighing heavily on his heart.

**Gobber: _(trades his hammer for an axe.)_ "Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me out there." _(He pauses. Turns with a threatening glare.)_ "Stay. Put. There. You know what I mean." _(He charges into the fray, HOLLERING.)_**

**_(WHAM! Hiccup pushes his wheeled contraption through a wall of clustered Vikings. He weaves through the ongoing mayhem, as fast as his legs can carry him.)_**

**Viking: "Hiccup, where are you going!"**

**Another Viking: "Come back here!"**

**Hiccup: "I know. Be right back!"**

**_(The Nadders have cornered the house-full of sheep. They close in, ready to spring upon them. Stoick suddenly appears, HURLING FISHING NETS over them. The surprised Nadders are caught. Stoick and his men rush in. A Nadder blasts a hole through its net. Stoick leaps onto it, clamping his thick arms around its head, forcing its jaws shut.)_**

**Stoick: "Mind yourselves! The devils still have some juice in them."**

All of the dragons in the room were now on edge. Hookfang unintentionally set himself aflame, causing Snotlout to catch on fire.

"Hookfang!" He scolded his dragon.

Hiccup felt the tension rising in the room. This was so much harder for all of them to watch now that they all knew the truth about dragons.

**_(On-screen Hiccup reaches a cliff overlooking the smoking CATAPULT and drops the handles to the ground. He cranks several levers, unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of his contraption. He drops a bola onto a chamber and then pivots the weapon on a gimbal head toward the dark sky.)_**

Hiccup felt his heart pounding in his chest, unable to look Toothless in the eyes. He wanted to run from the room, and forget that he ever committed such a horrible crime as this.

**_(On-screen Hiccup listens, with his eye pressed to the scope, hand poised on the trigger. He hears the NIGHT FURY approaching... and turns his aim to the defense tower. It closes in for the final strike, completely camouflaged in the night.)_**

**Hiccup: "Come on. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at."**

Toothless could feel Hiccup shaking underneath his chin, which still rested comfortingly on the boy's knee. He nuzzled the boy lovingly. The dragon also was remembering that night, and it brought back memories of fear and loneliness and hunger. Constant hunger. The dragons never got enough food when they were under the command of that awful queen.

**_(KABLAM! The tower topples. The blast of fire illuminates the dragon for a split second. Hiccup pulls the trigger. KERTHUNK! The flexed arms SNAP forward, springing the weapon off the ground. The bola disappears into the sky, followed by a WHACK and a SCREECH.)_**

Hiccup let out an involuntary gasp at the sound of the Night Fury's wretched, painful cry. He turned his head away from the screen, and realized that there were tear stains on his cheeks.

Astrid noticed Hiccup's guilt-stricken expression and she reached her hand out to take his. He looked at her and swallowed. Toothless gently licked the boy's face, and then looked back at the screen. Even as he remembered how much the hit of the weapon had hurt, the dragon couldn't help but wonder how much worse things would have been for all of them right now if Hiccup had missed.

**Hiccup: "Oh I hit it! Yes, I hit it! Did anybody see that?"**

Hiccup felt sick to his stomach at his elated reaction to hurting the dragon. He hadn't known. If he had known he would never have done it in the first place.

**_(Hiccup's victory is short-lived. A Monstrous Nightmare appears, slithering up over the lip of the cliff)_**

**Hiccup: "Except for you."**

"Geez, Hiccup, you don't even look scared," Tuff commented. "Did you always used to talk to dragons like that, right before they were about to kill you?"

**_(Hiccup runs from the Monstrous Nightmare screaming)_**

"Typical," Snotlout smirked.

**_(ON STOICK, holding down the netted Nadders. He hears a familiar HOLLER and looks up to see... HICCUP running through the PLAZA, SCREAMING, with the NIGHTMARE fast on his heels. Alarmed, Stoick abandons the Nadders and runs off.)_**

**Stoick: "DO NOT let them escape!"**

**_(Vikings scatter as Hiccup dodges a near fatal blast. The Nightmare's sticky, Napalm-like fire splashes up onto buildings, setting them alight – Hiccup ducks behind the last standing brazier - the only shelter available. The Nightmare blasts it, spraying fire all around him. Hiccup peers around the smoldering post. No sign of the Nightmare. He turns back to find it leering at him, blocking his escape. It takes a deep breath. Suddenly, Stoick LEAPS between them, tackling the Nightmare to the ground. They tumble and wrestle, resuming their earlier fight. The Nightmare tries to toast him, but only coughs up smoke.)_**

**Stoick: "You're all out."**

**_(He smashes the Nightmare repeatedly in the face, driving it away. It takes to the air and disappears. Winded, Stoick turns to Hiccup.)_**

**Hiccup: Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know...**

**(The burnt brazier pole collapses, sending the massive iron basket crashing. It bounces down the hill, destroying as it goes and scattering the Vikings who were holding down the netted Nadders. The freed dragons escape... with several sheep in tow.**

**Hiccup: "Sorry, dad."**

**(The escaped Nadders fly past with sheep in their clutches. The raid is over. The dragons have clearly won. The murmuring crowd eyes Stoick, awaiting his response.)**

**Hiccup: "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."**

**(Stoick grabs Hiccup by the back scruff of his collar and hauls him away, fuming with embarrassment.)**

**Hiccup: "It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it. You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it -"**

"It's a good thing we didn't believe you at the time, Hiccup," Fishlegs said. "Toothless wouldn't have stood a chance if we had actually sent a search party."

"I guess that's something to be grateful for," Hiccup admitted darkly.

**Stoick: "-STOP! Just...stop."**

**(He releases Hiccup. Everyone goes silent, staring expectantly.)**

**Stoick: "Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter is almost here and I have an entire village to feed!"**

**(Hiccup looks around. All eyes are upon him.)**

**Hiccup: "Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?"**

**(A few rotund Vikings stir self-consciously.)**

**Stoick: "This isn't a joke, Hiccup! Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"**

**Hiccup: "I can't stop myself. I see a dragon and I have to just... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad."**

"Why do I get the feeling that even _you_ didn't really believe that?" Astrid asked Hiccup next to her.

"It was who I was _trying_ to be, Astrid," Hiccup replied. "It was who I was expected to be, and I was trying to fit what my dad wanted me to be."

**Stoick: "You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them."**

"He sure got that one, right," Snotlout agreed.

"But now we all know that it's not a bad thing," Fishlegs added.

**Stoick: "Get back to the house. Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up."**

**(Stoick lumbers off in the opposite direction. Gobber leads Hiccup through the walk of shame. They pass the teen fire brigade as they snicker.)**

**Tuffnut: "Quite the performance."**

**Snotlout: "I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!"**

**Hiccup: "Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so..."**

**(Hiccup heads up toward a large house, standing prominently on the hill above the others.)**

Snotlout chuckled. "You know, at the time it looked really bad," he grinned remembering. "Really, _really_ bad," he laughed louder. The twins laughed as well.

Toothless growled at them and the others glared at the three clowns. They're laughter died when they saw their expressions.

**Hiccup: "I really did hit one."**

**Gobber: "Sure, Hiccup."**

**Hiccup: "He never listens."**

**Gobber: "Well, it runs in the family."**

**Hiccup: "And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich." (Mimicking Stoick) "Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here. This is a talking fish bone."**

All of the audience members laughed at Hiccup's impression of his father.

"You are actually really good at that," Astrid complimented him, and Hiccup gave her a half-hearted smile.

**Gobber: "You're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like. It's what's _inside_ that he can't stand."**

Fishlegs face-palmed. "Again! Gobber! What is it with him and awful advice?"

**Hiccup: "Thank you, for summing that up."**

**(They reach the doorway.)**

**Gobber: "Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not."**

**Hiccup: (sighing heavily) "I just want to be one of you guys."**

**(Gobber eyes him sympathetically. Hiccup turns and goes through the front door. And straight out the back door. He hurries off into the woods, determined.)**

"So much for making sure he stays home," Ruff said.

Tuff grunted. "I know. And he thinks _we _don't listen," he rolled his eyes.

**(The image shifts to the Great Hall, where Vikings are gathered around the war room table)**

**Stoick: "Either we finish them or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home." _(He sinks his blade into a LARGE NAUTICAL MAP, spread out on the table... the blade pierces the middle of an uncharted corner, swirling with painted sea monsters and dragons.) "_One more search. Before the ice sets in."**

**Viking: "Those ships never come back."**

**Stoick: "We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?"**

**_(Stoick throws up his fist. No one follows. The crowds shifts in restless silence. Head scratches. Eyes averted.)_**

**Stoick: "Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup."**

**_(Hands jut into the air, volunteers galore. Enthusiastic murmurs of prep and packing fill the room.)_**

**Phlegma: "To the ships!"**

**Spitelout: "I'm with you Stoick!"**

**Stoick: "Ah yeah, That's more like it."**

"Wow, really nice, Dad," Hiccup grumbled. "Why are we watching this part? I really needed to be reminded of how much the whole village hated me," he said sarcastically.

**_(The Vikings rush for the door, leaving Gobber and Stoick alone. Gobber gulps back the contents of his tankard attachment and scrapes back the bench.)_**

**Gobber: "I'll pack my undies."**

**Stoick: "No, I need you to stay and train some new recruits."**

"That's us!" Ruffnut exclaimed.

**Gobber: "Oh, perfect. And while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall. Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to himself...what could possibly go wrong?"**

"Everything," Snotlout chimed in.

**(Stoick sinks onto the bench beside Gobber, his brow burdened.)**

**Stoick: "What am I going to do with him Gobber?"**

**Gobber: "Put him in training with the others."**

**Stoick: "No, I'm serious."**

**Gobber: "So am I."**

**(Stoick turns to him, glaring.)**

**Stoick: "He'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of its cage."**

"Sheesh, your dad has no faith in you at all," Fishlegs commented.

"Tell me about it," Hiccup grumbled.

"None of us did," Snotlout reminded him. "I still don't," he added stubbornly, crossing his arms, which earned him another punch from Astrid.

**Gobber: "Oh, you don't know that."**

**Stoick: "I do know that, actually."**

**Gobber: "No, you don't."**

**Stoick: "No, actually I do."**

**Gobber: "_No_ you _don't_!"**

"Wow," Astrid said. "Gobber really advocated for you. He must have convinced your Dad to let you train."

"Yeah," Hiccup replied. "Right in time for me to decide I really didn't want to fight dragons at all."

**Stoick: "Listen. You know what he's like. From the time he could crawl he's been...different. He doesn't listen. He has the attention span of a sparrow. I take him fishing and he goes hunting for... for _trolls!_"**

"When did that happen?" Tuff asked.

"Who goes hunting for trolls?" Ruff cackled.

"That was years ago," Hiccup responded defensively. "It happened once, when I was like six, and apparently Dad still hasn't gotten over it," he said angrily.

**Gobber: "Trolls exist! They steal your socks. But only the left ones. What's with that?"**

"What an idiot," Snotlout muttered.

**Stoick: "When I was a boy..."**

**Gobber: "Oh here we go."**

**Stoick: "My father told me to bang my head against a rock and I did it. I thought it was _crazy_, but I didn't _question_ him. And you know what happened?"**

**Gobber: "You got a headache."**

**Stoick: "That rock split in two. It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber. He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become. _(Beat)_ Hiccup is not that boy."**

Hiccup had never heard his dad tell that story before. He also hadn't realized how worried his dad had been about him. Hiccup had been really lost before meeting Toothless. He still didn't really feel like he knew exactly who he was. But the way that his father was talking about him made Hiccup feel a lot better about his relationship with his dad. Stoick may have acted like Hiccup was useless, but this conversation made it clear that he actually did always care and worry for his son.

**Gobber: "You can't stop him, Stoick. You can only prepare him. Look, I know it seems hopeless. But the truth is you won't always be around to protect him. He's going to get out there again. He's probably out there now."**

**_(Scene cuts to a drawn map of the island, covered in X's. Hiccup looks up from it and peeks over a gorge, expectantly. Sees nothing. He adds another 'X' to the page, then scratches his pencil over the whole map in frustration. He snaps the book closed and pockets it.)_**

"Oh this is so exciting!" Fishlegs exclaimed quietly to the group. "Is this when you find Toothless?"

"Yeah," Hiccup smiled, scratching his dragon under the chin.

**Hiccup: Oh, the gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon.**

**_(Hiccup WHACKS a low-hanging branch. It SNAPS back at him, hitting him in the face.)_**

The twins and Snotlout let out loud laughter.

**_(He looks up to see a snapped tree trunk. His eyes follow it to a long trench of up-turned earth. He follows it to a downed, black dragon, its body and tail tangled in a bola. It appears dead.)_**

Toothless cooed in anticipation, and looked back at Hiccup. Hiccup gave the dragon a small smile.

**Hiccup: _(approaches the dragon, beaming.)_ "Oh wow. I did it. I did it. This fixes everything. Yes! (He strikes a victory pose, planting his foot on the fallen Night Fury) I have brought down this mighty beast!"**

Toothless gave Hiccup an annoyed grumble and shot him a dirty look. Hiccup grimaced sheepishly back. "Sorry," he whispered.

**_(The dragon suddenly shifts.)_**

**Hiccup: "Whoa!"**

**_(Hiccup springs back, terrified. He turns his blade on it. Rattled, Hiccup creeps along the length of the weak, wounded dragon, dagger poised to strike. As he reaches the head, Hiccup finds the Night Fury staring coldly at him. Hiccup tries to look away, but he's drawn back to its unnerving, unflinching stare.)_**

"Oh my gods," Astrid breathed next to Hiccup, completely engrossed in the moving image.

**_(With the dragon safety tangled in the ropes, Hiccup jabs with his dagger, puffing himself up with false bravado.)_**

**"I'm going to kill you, Dragon." _(Beat)_ "I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I'm a Viking." _(Beat)_ "I am a VIKING!"**

Toothless let out a soft moan, and Hiccup gently rubbed his head. "I'm sorry for scaring you, bud," he murmured. "You know I was really scared too."

Toothless cooed again, and put his head back in Hiccup's lap.

**_(Hiccup raises the dagger, determined to prove his Viking-ness. The dragon's labored breathing breaks Hiccup's clenched concentration. He opens an eye, uncertainty leaking through. The dragon holds the stare. Something profound is exchanged. Finally, the Night Fury closes its eye and lowers its head, resigned to its fate. Hiccup tries to go through with it, holding the dagger aloft... fighting himself... until finally lowering it with a frustrated sigh. He looks over the dragon's chaffed rope wounds.)_**

Astrid shook her head in awe, staring wide-eyed at the screen. All of the young dragon riders had their eyes glued, unblinking at the screen. "That's just amazing," Astrid murmured quietly to Hiccup. "I never, _ever _would have had the strength to do that."

Hiccup turned his head to look at Astrid next to him, surprised. Strength. She thought his refusal to kill Toothless was strength. Hiccup had believed for so long that what he had done was weak and cowardly. He had given into his weak cursed heart, and he didn't have the strength to just kill the beast when he'd had the chance. But Astrid watched what had happened and immediately saw strength and bravery. Hiccup smiled, for the first time feeling really proud. Astrid thought he was strong.

**Hiccup: "I did this."**

**_(He turns to leave. Pauses. And glances back at the dragon, chest heaving. Hiccup GRUMBLES. He checks over his shoulder to ensure that no one is watching... then hurries back to cut the ropes. The Night Fury's eye shoots open. With the dragon watching his every move, Hiccup hurriedly saws through the bola ropes.)_**

"Hiccup you are absolutely insane!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

**_(As the last rope falls free, the Night Fury suddenly POUNCES! In a blur, the dragon is upon him, pinning Hiccup down, grazing his neck. Looking like it's about to kill him.)_**

Everyone in the audience except Hiccup gasped loudly. Snotlout hissed out a low curse word.

**_(Hiccup is paralyzed. The dragon's breath ruffles his hair. Hiccup opens his eyes to find the Night Fury's wolf-like stare boring into him. The exchange is intense, profound. The dragon draws a deep breath, as though it's about to torch him, then lets out an ear-piercing scream instead. It turns and takes flight, flapping violently through the canopy of trees. It bashes against a nearby mountain side, recovers, and drops out of view some distance away.)_**

"Oh my gods!"

"I can't _believe_ he didn't kill you on the spot!"

"That actually happened?"

"That was incredible!"

All of the young Vikings had now turned to look at Hiccup and Toothless at the end of the row. Hiccup smiled at all of their reactions and just shrugged. "Lesson number one: if you don't kill the dragon, he won't kill you."

"I guess we know that now," Fishlegs said, "but you didn't know that at the time. It's pretty incredible that you reacted to the dragon the way you did."

"It's true, Hiccup," Astrid agreed. "None of us would have looked into his eyes and felt sympathy the way you did. It was such a risky decision to set him free."

"But it worked out," Hiccup smiled at Toothless. "And it was worth all the risk in the world."

The dragon licked the boy's face in enthusiastic agreement.

"Gaah!" Hiccup exclaimed, wiping away the slobber with a smile.

**_ (Winded, Hiccup struggles to his feet, staggers a few steps, collapses to his knees, and faints.)_**

Snotlout burst out laughing. "Whimp!" he called.

"Oh like you would have reacted any differently to almost being killed," Astrid defended Hiccup.

Everyone laughed.

* * *

_A/N: What do you think so far? Please let me know in the reviews!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Again, I don't own any of the writing in Bold!_

_A/N: Enjoy :)_

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**(Hiccup enters to see Stoick seated on a thick slice of tree-trunk. He is slouched over the fire-pit, stirring the coals with his axe. Embers waft around his beard. Hiccup tries to sneak past, up the stairs to his room. Stoick seems none the wiser, when...)**

**Stoick: "Hiccup."**

**Hiccup: "Dad. Uh..."**

**_(Stoick stands, takes a deep breath.)_**

**Hiccup: "I, uh... I have to talk to you, Dad."**

**Stoick: "I need to speak with you too, son."**

**_(Hiccup and Stoick STRAIGHTEN at the same moment.)_**

**Hiccup and Stoick at the same time:**

** "I've decided I don't want to (I think it's time you learn)**

** fight dragons."**

**_ (BEAT) (BEAT)_**

** "What?" "What?"**

**Stoick: "You go first."**

**Hiccup: "No, no you... go first."**

**Stoick: "Alright. You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning."**

"Oh no," Fishlegs sympathized with Hiccup, understanding the irony of the situation he was in.

**Hiccup: "Oh man, I should've gone first. Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings, or small home repair vikings – "**

**Stoick: "-You'll need this."**

**_(Stoick hands Hiccup his axe. Hiccup holds it awkwardly in his arms)_**

**Hiccup: "I don't want to fight dragons."**

**Stoick: "Come on. Yes, you do."**

**Hiccup: "Rephrase. Dad I _can't_ kill dragons."**

**Stoick: "But you _will_ kill dragons."**

**Hiccup: "No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't."**

"Oh Thor, Hiccup," Astrid laughed bitterly, rubbing her hand over her forehead. "I am so sorry you had to go through this, gods…"

"Yeah," Hiccup smirked. "Isn't my life just great?" he deadpanned.

**Stoick: "It's time Hiccup."**

**Hiccup: "Can you not hear me?"**

**Stoick: "This is serious son!"**

**_(Stoick forces Hiccup to hold the axe upright in his hands.)_**

**Stoick: "When you carry this axe... you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us_." (He makes Hiccup stand up straight)_ "You talk like us. You think like us. No more of..." _(gesturing non-specifically at Hiccup) "_…. This."**

**Hiccup: _(he rolls his eyes, the axe slipping down in his grip)_ "You just gestured to all of me."**

**Stoick: "Deal?"**

**Hiccup: "This conversation is feeling very one-sided."**

**Stoick: "DEAL?!"**

**_(Hiccup glances at the axe in his hands. It's a no-win argument.)_**

**Hiccup: "Deal."**

**_(Satisfied, Stoick grabs his helmet and duffel bag... and heads for the door.)_**

**Stoick: "Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably."**

**Hiccup: "And I'll be here. Maybe."**

**_(Stoick heads out the door, leaving Hiccup holding the axe.)_**

Several of the dragon riders were glancing at Hiccup throughout watching this exchange. None of them knew very well what Hiccup's life was like on a daily basis, and they felt like they were getting a really good taste of it just from watching this one conversation. Even Snotlout stayed quiet, pondering how little he really knew about Hiccup the Useless. He couldn't help but compare Hiccup's relationship with his father to the relationship he had with his own father.

It definitely was something to think about.

**_(Gobber raises a massive iron gate at the entrance of a vast stone arena.)_**

**Gobber: "Welcome to dragon training!"**

**_(The recruits file through the gate, and out onto the arena floor. They take it in like gladiators entering the colosseum. The walls are covered in scorched silhouettes of blasted Vikings. It's a grim yet awe-inspiring place.)_**

**Astrid: "No turning back."**

"Alright!" Snotlout said. "Now we get to watch ourselves!"

"This is the first day," Astrid said. "We get to rewatch all of you guys make fools of yourselves."

"Ah come on," Ruff said. "It wasn't that bad."

"Yeah," Tuff agreed. "We survived, didn't we?"

**Tuffnut: "I hope I get some serious burns."**

**Ruffnut: "I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back."**

**Astrid: "Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it."**

"Ha!" Ruff exclaimed. "I just realized Hiccup is the only one who actually did end up with a scar!"

"Last person we would have expected," Tuff said. "And it was a bad one. I mean, the whole _leg_ is gone – "

"Shut _up_, you guys!" Snotlout yelled at them. "And by the way, Hiccup isn't the only one who was scathed." He pulled down his shirt to show the twins a small scratch mark on his chest.

"Ugh, gross," Ruff gagged. "Losing a leg is _way_ cooler than _that_ ugly thing."

"What? Where? I don't see it. Is there even something there?"

"Hush you guys!" Astrid quieted them.

**Hiccup: "Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it."**

_**(The recruits turn to see Hiccup behind them. Groans all around.)**_

**Tuffnut: "Oh great. Who let him in?"**

**Gobber: "Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village."**

**Snotlout: "Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or...?"**

_**(The recruits LAUGH and chatter in the background.)**_

"Oh man," Snotlout groaned. "That is so messed up. I can't believe I actually said that. I mean, I was joking because I thought you were just making it up, but you weren't, and you didn't actually kill him!"

They all shook their heads, wallowing in the irony.

**Tuff: "Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?"**

**Gobber throws a supportive arm around Hiccup and ushers him along.**

**Gobber: "Don't worry. You're small and you're weak. That'll make you less of a target. They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead."**

"What a comfort, Gobber," Fishlegs rolled his eyes.

_**(GOBBER sticks him in line with the others and continues on toward five massive reinforced doors. Terrible ROARS and BELLOWS issue from within.)**_

**Gobber: "Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight."**

_**(Fishlegs bounces and giggles with excitement, barely able to contain himself.)**_

**Gobber: "The Deadly Nadder."**

**FIshlegs: "Speed eight. Armor sixteen."**

**Gobber: "The Hideous Zippleback."**

**Fishlegs: "Plus eleven stealth. Times two."**

**Gobber: "The Monstrous Nightmare."**

**FIshlegs: "Firepower fifteen."**

**Gobber: "The Terrible Terror."**

**Fishlegs: "Attack eight. Venom twelve."**

**Gobber: "CAN YOU STOP THAT?!"**

"Thank you, Gobber," Snotlout muttered.

**Gobber: "And...the Gronckle."**

**Fishlegs: _(whispering)_ "Jaw strength, eight."**

"Seriously?" Snotlout said to Fishlegs. "He just told you to stop!"

"I couldn't help it!" Fishlegs replied.

_**(Gobber pulls a lever, raising the cross beam on the last of the doors.)**_

**Snotlout: "Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first!?"**

**Gobber: "I believe in learning on the job."**

_**(BAM! A GRONCKLE thunders out of its cave, charging into the ring like an irate rhino. The recruits scramble in every direction. The dragon slams into the wall of the arena, and scoops up a pile of rocks into its mouth)**_

"Look Meatlug!" Fishlegs exclaimed excitedly. "Its you!"

The dragon growled, remembering that this was not the most fun for her.

**Gobber: "Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead. Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?"**

**Hiccup: "A doctor?"**

"A dragon," Hiccup suggested in the audience.

**Fishlegs: "Plus five speed?"**

**Astrid: "A shield."**

**Gobber: "Shields. Go."**

_**(The recruits scramble for shields, finding them scattered around the ring.)**_

**Gobber: "Your most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield."**

_**(Hiccup STRUGGLES to lift his. Gobber helps him and sends him running. Ruff and Tuff stand amidst a dozen shields. But only one has a skull painted on it. They both grab it.)**_

**Tuffnut: "Get your hands off my shield!"**

**Ruffnut: "There are like a million shields!"**

**Tuffnut: "Take that one, it has a flower on it. Girls like flowers."**

_**(Ruffnut uses the shield to BASH Tuffnut in the face. He doesn't let go.)**_

**Ruffnut: "Ooops, now this one has blood on it."**

_**(The Gronckle takes aim at the distracted twins. Blam! The shield is blasted out of both of their hands. Tuff and Ruff SPIN like tops and go down.)**_

"Nice shot, Meatlug!" Fishlegs congratulated his dragon.

**Gobber: "Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!"**

**Tuffnut and Ruffnut: "What?"**

_**(The teens gather on the far side of the ring.)**_

**Gobber: "Those shields are good for another thing. Noise. Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim."**

_**(The kids scoop up weapons and begin hammering on their shields. The Gronckle shakes its head at the clatter.)**_

"That actually turned out to be a really useful tip," Astrid commented.

**Gobber: "All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"**

**Snotlout: "Five?"**

**Fishlegs: "No, six!"**

**Gobber: "Correct, six. That's one for each of you!"**

**Fishlegs: "I really don't – ahhh!" (Fishlegs' shield is blasted away and he goes running)**

**Gobber: "Fishlegs, out."**

_**(Gobber spots Hiccup hiding from the Gronckle's molten slugs.)**_

"Ugh, you guys were so terrible," Astrid said. "It was embarrassing just to be in the ring with all of you."

**Gobber: "Hiccup, get in there!"**

_**(ON ASTRID bouncing on her heels, ready to dodge a blast. Snotlout appears, trying to hit on her.)**_

**Snotlout: "So anyway I'm moving into my parents' basement. You should come by sometime to work out. You look like you work out—"**

"Really Snotlout?" Fishlegs said. "Hitting on Astrid in the middle of a fight?"

Astrid punched Snotlout in the arm again.

"Hey! What was that for? It was in the past!"

"It's belated," Astrid said fake sweetly. "If I wasn't in the middle of combat I would have done it then, so better late than never!" She smiled cheekily at him.

_**(Astrid cartwheels out of the way, allowing a shot to shoot past her and hit Snotlout's shield. He's blasted onto his back.)**_

"There, Meatlug did it for you," Snotlout said in annoyance.

"Thanks Meatlug!" Astrid patted the Gronkle, who laughed.

**Gobber: "Snotlout! You're done!"**

_**(Astrid ROLLS to a stop beside Hiccup, who stirs awkwardly, trying to look cool.)**_

**Hiccup: "So, I guess it's just you and me, huh?"**

"Compared to Hiccup's lame attempt to flirt on the battle field, I'd say I did way -"

Astrid held up her fist again warningly.

"Nevermind! Nevermind!"

**Astrid: "Nope. Just you."**

_**(Astrid ROLLS away. A split-second later a lava slug knocks Hiccup's shield clear off of his arm. Hiccup is exposed.)**_

**Gobber: "One shot left!"**

_**(Hiccup panics and chases after his shield as it rolls across the ring. The sudden movement sends the Gronckle chasing after him, leaving Astrid in the clear.)**_

**Gobber: "Hiccup!"**

_**(The Gronckle drives straight toward Hiccup, pinning him against the wall. It opens its mouth and cocks its tail, ready to fire point-blank.)**_

"Little did we know that that was not the first time you were in that situation, Hiccup," Fishlegs said.

"Yeah, you know for a split second I actually wondered if she was really going to blast," Hiccup said. "A completely deluded thought, I know, but _he_ hadn't so…"

"That's crazy," Astrid said.

_**(Gobber lunges in and hooks the Gronckle's mouth at the last second, causing its head to jerk back and fire against the stone wall above Hiccup's head.)**_

**Gobber: "And that's six!" _(he wrestles the irate Gronckle back into his pen.)_ "Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry."**

Meatlug grumbled, not very pleased to watch herself be treated like that.

_**(Slam! Lock. Gobber turns to the recruits.)**_

**Gobber: "Remember... a dragon will always," _(with a stern look to HICCUP)_ "_always_ go for the kill."**

**(He hoists Hiccup to his feet and walks off. Hiccup looks overhead to see a steaming pit in the solid stone wall.)**

"So you already knew at that point that that wasn't true," Astrid said to Hiccup.

Hiccup nodded. "Then I _had_ to find out more." He rubbed Toothless on the head again. "I had to know why _this_ dragon was so nice to me," he joked. Toothless stuck out his tongue and made a silly face as Hiccup scratched the soft spot under his chin.

_**(Scene shifts to the COVE, showing HICCUP, battered after another disastrous day in the ring. He studies the remnants of the discarded bola... revealing that he's back at the scene of the crime.)**_

**Hiccup: "So...why didn't you?"**

_**(He drops the bola and presses on in the direction it flew off. He drops into a rocky crevice and follows it to an... ISOLATED COVE complete with a pristine spring pool.)**_

"You really thought he would still be there?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "Not really, I guess. But I was curious, and you never know…"

**Hiccup: "Well this was stupid."**

_**(He scans the high stone walls... then notices a single black SCALE on the ground. He crouches and picks it up, studying it. SUDDENLY, the NIGHT FURY blasts past him. Hiccup recoils, watching the massive beast struggle to climb the walls. It flaps violently, then peels away to a rough landing. The dragon is trapped.)**_

Toothless gargled, pleased to see himself back on the screen. He smiled at Hiccup, and Hiccup smiled back.

_**(Hiccup grins, excited to see it again, and slips closer. He watches as the dragon, exhausted and frustrated, leaps into the air, beating its wings furiously. Again and again, it rolls uncontrolled and CRASHES heavily. As if remembering to snap a photo, Hiccup pulls a leather-bound book and flips past drawings of weapons to a blank page. He sketches the dragon quickly, desperate to record the image.)**_

"Oh yeah," Snotlout said. "Pull out a notebook and draw it. That's the first thing _I_ would do if _I_ saw a dangerous fire-breathing dragon," he joked, dripping with sarcasm.

The others chuckled. "Only Hiccup," Fishlegs agreed. "That is the first drawing of a Night Fury, maybe ever!"

**Hiccup: "Why don't you just...fly away?"**

_**(He spots the problem. He adjusts his drawing, carefully erasing one half of the dragon's tail. ****The dragon claws at the steep rock walls, trying to climb out of the cove. It SLIPS and falls hard, crushing several saplings. The dragon rolls back to his feet and slowly crawls to the water's edge. He spots fish in the shallow water and snaps at them... but comes up empty. He lowers his head, looking weakened. Hiccup looks at the dragon sympathetically, and then**** accidentally drops the charcoal stick. It rolls off of the rock outcropping that hides him from view and bounces into the cove. TINK. TINK. TINK. The Night Fury raises his head, spotting Hiccup. They exchange a profound, unflinching stare.)**_

Toothless let out a happy purr, and Astrid smiled excitedly at the screen. Her heart quickened as she watched the interaction, a small voice in the back of her head telling her that she was completely enamored with this boy. Then she frowned and looked down, forcefully pushing away the thought. _So not_, she told herself. But smiled nonetheless when Hiccup next to her gave Toothless a tender, loving hug.

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_A/N: Don't forget to review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Fair warning, yes, I skipped a couple of scenes. I was lazy and those scenes were too boring to write out good reactions. So I'm skipping right to the good parts!_

* * *

**Hiccup: "You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?"**

Astrid was already cracking up. Hiccup turned to her, amused.

"Oh this makes so much more _sense!"_ She laughed hysterically. "I admit it, Hiccup, I was hardcore judging you at the time. I thought you were so _weird!_ Like, why in the _world _would you be standing around asking about _Night Furies_ when you couldn't even defend yourself against a _Nadder?!_ And now I totally _get_ it!"

She continued to laugh, her face red from the hysterics. Hiccup chuckled along with her, mostly amused by how much she was laughing.

**_(KABLAM! A blast takes the axe head off of Hiccup's hilt, leaving a smoking hole behind him. Hiccup YELPS and RUNS.)_**

**Gobber: "FOCUS Hiccup! You're not even trying."**

**_(CUT BACK to reveal a Deadly Nadder, loose in a maze-like arrangement of moveable walls. Gobber calls orders from above.)_**

"Look Stormfly!" Astrid exclaimed excitedly to her dragon. "This is _your_ day!" The Nadder squawked in excitement as well.

**Gobber: "Today... is all about _attack._ (The Nadder hops from wall to wall, sending the recruits scurrying.) Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter."**

**_(The teens move in, stumbling over Hiccup and his unwieldy shield. The Nadder spots Fishlegs' running around a corner and it whips its tail of spikes. Fishlegs SCREAMS and stumbles into the walls)_**

**Fishlegs: "I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!"**

**Gobber: "Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike."**

**_(Ruff and Tuff rush in, diving and rolling up to the Nadder's nose. The Nadder sniffs the air - it can't see them. Tuff and Ruff are smashed together - too close for comfort.)_**

**Ruffnut: "Do you ever bathe?"**

**Tuffnut: "If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot."**

**Ruffnut: "How 'bout I give you one!"**

**_(Ruff and Tuff shove each other, till their movement and noise gives them away. The Nadder attacks, blasting hot flames at them.)_**

"Atta girl, Stormfly!" Astrid cheered.

**Gobber: "Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much. He he he…"**

**_(Hiccup wanders up to Gobber, while the others dart past.)_**

**Hiccup: "Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?"**

**Gobber: "No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!"**

**Hiccup: "I know, I know, but hypothetically..."**

Astrid was laughing loudly again, along with the others.

"No one's ever met one?" Fishlegs grinned. "Oh how wrong you are, Gobber."

"_Hypothetically!_" Astrid gasped, struggling to catch her breath. "Oh Thor, this is so funny! I can't breathe!"

"Were you planning to sneak up on Toothless?" Tuffnut asked blandly. "Why would you need to know how to sneak up on a Night Fury?"

If possible, Astrid laughed even harder. She was practically falling on the floor. Even Toothless laughed at that.

**Astrid: _(quietly)_ "Hiccup!" _(mouthing)_ 'Get down.'**

**_(Astrid somersaults into the Nadder's blind spot, followed by Snotlout, and then Hiccup, who clumsily falls out of his somersault, catching the dragon's attention. The Nadder squawks and then chases him across the maze walls. The Nadder spots Astrid and lands in front of her. Astrid rears back to strike - just as Snotlout leaps in, protectively sweeping Astrid behind him.)_**

**Snotlout: "Watch out babe. I'll take care of this."**

**Astrid: "Hey!"**

**_(Snotlout misses. Astrid glares at him. The Nadder makes several short squawking sounds)_**

"Look, Snotlout," Astrid said. "Even Stormfly was laughing at your lame attempt to throw a mace." Stormfly squawked behind her rider and Astrid hugged the dragon's horn. "I love you, girl," she smiled happily. "You were always on my side, weren't you?"

**Snotlout: "The sun was in my eyes, Astrid. What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that, but I don't have time right now!"**

**_(The Nadder tears off after her, knocking down walls in pursuit. She leaps and dives like a highly trained gymnast. Hiccup wanders up to Gobber again.)_**

**Hiccup: "They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?"**

"_Napping_," Astrid chuckled with an amused grin.

**Gobber: _(as walls are collapsing)_ "Hiccup!"**

**_(Hiccup spins around to see the maze walls collapsing like dominos toward him. Astrid comes flying through the dust – )_**

**Astrid: "Hicccahhh!"**

**_( – and she crash-lands on top of him, laying him out in a limb-tangled mess.)_**

"Oh this was really awkward," Astrid cringed.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed in a low voice.

Hiccup and Astrid both leaned away from each other uncomfortably in their seats, pointedly not looking at one another.

**Tuffnut: "Oooh! Love on the battlefield!"**

**Ruffnut: "She could do better."**

**_(The Nadder closes in, emerging through the cloud of dust.)_**

**Hiccup: _(struggling to untangle)_ "Just... let me... why don't you... "**

**_(The Nadder spins around and races back toward them like a Raptor. Astrid untangles herself and tries to pull her axe from Hiccup's shield... which is attached to his limp, gangly arm.)_**

**Hiccup: "Ow – ow – ow!"**

**_(She PLANTS her foot on his face and YANKS the axe free, still burrowed into the shield. She SPINS and SWINGS the axe and shield, scoring a DIRECT HIT on the oncoming Nadder's NOSE. It yelps and scurries off.)_**

"I'm sorry, girl," Astrid rubbed her dragon's nose lovingly. "I would never do that to you now." The dragon hummed her forgiveness.

**Gobber: "Well done, Astrid."**

**_(Gobber hobbles off to wrestle the Nadder back into his cave. Hiccup is on the ground curled in a ball. Astrid glares at him, winded.)_**

**Astrid: "Is this some kind of a joke to you? Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on."**

Hiccup gave Astrid a sideways glance and smirked. "Thanks for the advice, Astrid. As always."

Astrid looked at him, the surprised realization showing on her face. "Oh my gods," she smiled. "I was not saying that to you as _advice!"_ She laughed.

"But it was good advice!" He laughed as well. She gave him a teasing punch in the arm.

**_(Cuts to THE COVE. A fish... being thrown into the cove. It hits the ground and slides. A moment later, Hiccup peeks through a gap in the rock, holding a shield and looking around cautiously. Nothing. He takes a step forward, and his shield gets wedged in between the rocks, unable to fit through the gap. He ducks underneath the shield and tries to tug the shield free, unsuccessfully.)_**

"Really smooth, Hiccup," Snotlout jabbed. "I'm sure Toothless thought you were so _sneaky_," he joked sarcastically.

Toothless snorted.

**_(Hiccup picks up the fish from the ground and walks cautiously into the cove. The Night Fury can be seen crouched on a rock like a stealthy panther)_**

Hiccup grinned, excited about watching this part. He eyed Toothless, and the boy and dragon shared a look. Everyone else had gone quiet, staring attentively at the screen in anticipation.

**_(Hiccup turns to see the Night Fury as it descends, approaching him... ready to pounce. Hiccup backs away. He swallows his fear and offers the fish. Doing so reveals the dagger at his waist. The dragon sees it and hisses. Hiccup reaches for it, eliciting a growl. He pauses, carefully lifts it by the handle, and tosses it away. The dragon shakes his head to the side, gesturing for him to move the weapon farther away. Hiccup picks up the dagger with his foot and tosses it into the pond. The dragon sits up and gives him a quizzical look)_**

**_(Hiccup offers the fish again. As the dragon approaches the fish, Hiccup notices that it's missing teeth.)_**

**Hiccup: "Huh. Toothless. I could've sworn you had..." _(A set of razor sharp teeth emerge from its gums to grab the fish. Toothless snatches and gnashes it up, swallowing it.)_ "... teeth."**

There was a half a beat of silence and then –

Everyone in the audience exploded at once, making Hiccup jump in his seat.

"OH MY THOR!"

"_That's_ why – ?!"

"You're kidding me –! "

"Whaaaat!"

"HICCUP HADDOCK!"

Hiccup and Toothless both burst out laughing.

**_(The teeth retract again and the dragon licks his lips. Toothless presses closer with an expectant look. Hiccup retreats nervously.)_**

**Hiccup: "Uh, no, no. No, I don't have any more."**

**_(The Night Fury backs Hiccup against a rock, placing himself the same position as before. The dragon closes in over him, staring blankly. A tense moment passes... then Toothless regurgitates a chunk of fish onto Hiccup's lap.)_**

**Hiccup: "Ugh."**

"Some things don't change," Hiccup murmured with a smile.

**_(Toothless sits back on his haunches and they exchange stares. The dragon glances down at the fish in Hiccup's lap, and Hiccup realizes what he wants him to do.)_**

"You didn't," Snotlout said.

"Doesn't look like he has much of a choice!" Ruffnut laughed, enjoying this far too much.

**_ (Hiccup squeamishly picks it up. The dragon waits expectantly. Hiccup gags and gnaws off a bite of the slimy fish.)_**

The audience members all gagged along with the on-screen Hiccup.

Hiccup: **_(holding out the fish, the bite still sitting in his mouth)_** **"Mm-mm!"**

**_(Toothless swallows)_**

Hiccup: **"Mm!"** **_(he manages to gag down the raw fish)_**

"Oh that is so gross!" Fishlegs gagged.

"I'd do it," Tuffnut said. "Anytime."

**_(Toothless licks his lips – is it good? – Hiccup forces a smile. Toothless mimics him.)_**

"Aw, Toothless!" Astrid grinned at the dragon in the audience. Toothless responded with a look that said, _'it was incredibly awkward at the time, but I don't mind it now.'_ Astrid laughed at his funny expression.

**_(Amazed, Hiccup sits up and tries to touch him. Toothless hisses and flaps off to a crash on the other side of the cove. He blasts the mossy ground to a red-hot temperature and curls up on it like a giant dog. The dragon spots a bird flying from a tree and watches it longingly. He turns to find Hiccup seated beside him. Toothless groans and wraps his tail in front of his face, tolerating his presence. Hiccup is persistent and scoots closer, trying to touch his damaged tail. Toothless sees him and Hiccup quickly takes the hint and leaves.)_**

"Oh my gosh this is so sweet," Astrid commented with a smile. "It took Toothless some time to warm up to you, huh?"

"Yeah," Hiccup grinned. "I stuck around all day waiting for him to come around."

**_(The image shifts to show the cove later in the day. Toothless wakes, hanging upside down from a tree. He spots Hiccup sitting on the other side of the cove. Sketching in the sand. CLOSE ON a sketch of Toothless. Hiccup draws with a stick, minding his own business. Toothless appears behind him, watching carefully. Aware of his presence, Hiccup continues, trying not to scare him off.)_**

Toothless gargled excitedly and stood up, remembering what was going to happen next. He started leaping around in front of the screen on the wall, doing a happy dance. Hiccup laughed out loud. "_Toothless!_" He exclaimed happily. "I know, I loved this too, bud! But you gotta sit down, so the others can watch."

Toothless grinned sheepishly and walked back over to where Hiccup sat. The boy embraced his dragon with a bright smile.

**_(Toothless walks off. A moment later, he reappears with an entire sapling, drawing lines in the sand. He rushes here and there, making haphazard lines in every direction. Finally, Toothless drops the tree and inspects his work. He seems pleased.)_**

"Toothless the artista!" Tuffnut pronounced dramatically. "Who would have thought?"

**_(Hiccup stands and takes in the sprawling scribble, amazed by it. He accidentally steps onto one of the lines, eliciting an instant growl from Toothless. He steps on it again. Toothless growls again.)_**

Tuffnut gasped theatrically. "_Hiccup!_" He mock scolded. "How could you! You horribly insensitive – can't you _see_ that this is a beautiful work of _art?!"_

Toothless grunted in agreement, and everyone laughed.

**(Hiccup steps carefully between each line, turning round and round until he unwittingly bumps into Toothless. Toothless snorts. Once again, they're face to face. Hiccup slowly extends his hand, wanting very much to touch the dragon. Toothless gives a warning growl, and Hiccup pulls his hand back)**

"Ooooh!" Fishlegs squealed, bouncing excitedly in his chair. "He's gonna do the hand thing!"

**(Hiccup turns his head away and closes his eyes. There is a moment of complete stillness, Then, to his amazement, Toothless bridges the gap and presses his muzzle against Hiccup's hand. In a flash, the dragon is gone, leaving Hiccup astounded.)**

"I cannot believe," Astrid said, "that all of this happened without us having a _clue!_"

"You're telling _me_, sister," Tuffnut replied. "I was busy thinking up ways to make Zippleback gas explode inside the dragon's stomach while this was going on."

"And I was thinking up ways to make Zippleback gas explode inside of _Tuffnut's _stomach while this was going on," Ruff said.

"Whoa," Tuffnut looked at his sister, astonished. "Is that even possible?"

"I don't know, maybe we should try it."

"Hiccup, why didn't you just tell someone?" Snotlout asked. "Your dad wasn't even around at this point. Did you really think that if you told… _Fishlegs,_ about your dragon, he would have tried to kill him?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Fishlegs retaliated.

"I'm just saying, I think if we had all gotten a chance to meet Toothless, and seen how unthreatening he really is, none of us would have minded."

Hiccup looked at Snotlout thoughtfully, considering him. "It's possible you're right," Hiccup said. "But it was all really new for me too, you know? And Toothless was…" he ran his hand over the dragon's nose, "well, he was mine. And I think a part of me really didn't want to share him with anyone at that point."

"That's totally understandable," Astrid agreed. "But out of everyone, I got to meet him first," she bragged to the others.

"You didn't give me much of a choice," Hiccup reminded her.

"Guys, don't give it all away!" Fishlegs said. "I want to wait until we _see_ it to know what happened!"

And so the story continues…


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: The twins are the best things that ever happened to me._

_Have fun reading!_

* * *

**_(The image shifts to Gobber and the recruits seated at the top of an abandoned catapult tower, toasting campfire food around a roaring bonfire.)_**

**Gobber: "...and with one twist he took my hand and swallowed it whole. And I saw the look on his face. I was delicious. He must have passed the word, because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg."**

**_(oohs and ahs from the recruits)_**

"Oh!" Astrid exclaimed quietly, remembering that evening by the campfire. "You know I _thought_ you seemed off," she whispered accusingly at Hiccup. "Even for you."

Hiccup shrugged and gave her a small smile.

**Fishlegs: "Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon. Like if your mind was still in control of it you could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing his heart or something."**

"Boy, Hiccup," Fishlegs commented, noticing the on-screen Hiccup's facial expression. "Your head was _really_ somewhere else during this campfire, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah," Tuff agreed. "_That_ is the face of a boy who is completely _gone_ from the universe_._ Living deep within himself, unaware of any activity in the present world, _swallowed_ by the _merciless_ tortures of memories – !"

The others had turned to look at him quizzically, eyebrows raised in question.

"Too much?" he asked.

"I kinda liked it," Ruff admitted.

**Snotlout: "I swear I'm so _angry _right now. I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face."**

"Snotlout, that doesn't even make sense," Fishlegs said. "How can you chop anything with your face?"

"Hey it sounded seriously cool at the time," Snotlout defended himself.

"It does sound cool," Tuff agreed. "I'm gonna steal it."

**Gobber: _(with a mouthful)_ "Un-unh. It's the wings and the tails you really want. If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."**

**_(ON HICCUP hiding his horrified look from the others.)_**

"I'm _guessing_ that's how you got the tail idea," Astrid smirked at Hiccup.

"It's always a good idea to listen to Gobber," Hiccup said. "You never know when he may say something really helpful."

**_(Gobber stands and stretches.)_**

**Gobber: "Alright. I'm off to bed. You should be too. Tomorrow we get into the big boys. Slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare. But who'll win the honor of killing it?"**

Hookfang gave an annoyed snort from behind Snotlout.

**_(Hiccup is shown disappearing down the stairs. Astrid watches him leave the bonfire)_**

**Tuffnut: "It's gonna be me. It's my destiny. See?"**

**_(Tuffnut rolls up his sleeve to reveal a red dragon on his arm.)_**

**Fishlegs: _(gasps)_ "Your mom let you get a tattoo?"**

"You chose the wrong tattoo, bro," Ruffnut said to her brother, pointing at their Zippleback behind them.

"It's not a tattoo!" He insisted.

**Tuffnut: "It's not a tattoo. It's a birthmark."**

**Ruffnut: "Okay, I've been stuck with you since birth, and that was never there before."**

**Tuffnut: "Yes it was. You've just never seen me from the left side until now."**

"Yak dung," Ruffnut muttered.

**_(The image shifts and Hiccup enters a small room at the back of the stall. It's covered in drawings of weaponry and scale models. He lights a candle and lays his sketchbook out on the desk, opening it to the drawing of Toothless. With a look of determination. Hiccup picks up a charcoal stick and re-draws the missing tail.)_**

Toothless gargled excitedly again, happy that the on-screen Hiccup was working on making his tail.

**_(CLOSE ON a creaking leather bellows. The stone forge glows with every pump. Tongs pull intricate iron pieces from the coals. They're dropped onto the anvil, twisted, lightly hammered, and dunked in a barrel. The pieces are carried to Hiccup's workbench and laid out in place on a one-to-one schematic. It's a sketch of a mechanical fin. Hiccup puts the pieces together, and then opens a finished leather tail fin. Satisfied, he nods and closes the fin, ready for the next day.)_**

Toothless playfully held up his tail to look at the red prosthetic he now wore, comparing it to the one on the screen. He smiled happily at Hiccup and stuck out his tongue.

**_(The image opens on the hidden cove. Hiccup arrives carrying the tail fin and straining under the weight of a full basket. Toothless approaches, sniffing him.)_**

**Hiccup: "Hey Toothless. I brought breakfast. I hope – I hope you're hungry."**

**_(Hiccup drops the basket and kicks it over. Fish spill out.)_**

"Oh no," Fishlegs said, noticing that one of the fish looked suspiciously stripy. "Is that an _eel?!"_

"Oh that is _not_ good," Snotlout chuckled.

"How do you think I learned it?" Hiccup grinned.

"_Someone_ had to learn the hard way," Astrid laughed.

**Hiccup: "Okay, that's disgusting."**

**_(Toothless approaches, settling in to devour the feast.)_**

**Hiccup: "Uh… we've got some salmon... some nice Icelandic cod... and a whole smoked eel."**

**_(Toothless recedes from the eel, sensing danger. Hiccup picks it up from the ground and holds it out to the dragon. Toothless roars in fear and backs away like he has been seriously threatened.)_**

All the dragons in the audience blanch at the eel as well. Several of the young Vikings snickered.

"It is extremely gratifying to see Hiccup acting so clueless about dragons," Snotlout commented.

Astrid smacked him.

**Hiccup: "No, no, no! Okay." _(he throws the eel away and eases the dragon.)_ "Yeah, I don't like eel much either."**

**_(Toothless focuses on the remainder and starts gulping down fish. With the dragon distracted, Hiccup unwraps his prosthetic fin and opens it like a fan.)_**

**Hiccup: "Okay. That's it. That's it, just stick with good stuff. And don't you mind me. I'll just be back...here. Minding my own business…"**

**_(Hiccup cautiously approaches the injured tail, but every time he gets near it, Toothless automatically sweeps it away like a cat.)_**

**Hiccup: It's okay – **

**_(Hiccup grabs the tail with his hand. Toothless' head juts forward as he looks for more fish in the empty basket, causing Hiccup to lurch forward as well. He turns around and straddles the tail)_**

**Hiccup: Okay...okay…**

**_(The dragon tenses, the empty basket dropping from his head. He wiggles his working tail fin questioningly. When he realizes that Hiccup is fixing his tail, his wings drop to the ground in shock)_**

Astrid laughed. "Wow he was really surprised!" She said. "You weren't expecting Hiccup to be so kind, were you?" She patted Toothless on the head. The dragon responded affirmatively.

**_(Toothless slowly spreads his wings. Hiccup straps the prosthetic fin in place and cinches the straps.)_**

"Ohhh no!" Snotlout grinned. "This is gonna be good!"

**Hiccup: "There. Not too bad… It works…."**

**_(Toothless BOLTS! He snaps his massive wings and takes to the air, carrying Hiccup with him. Hiccup screams.)_**

**Hiccup: "Woah! No! No! No!"**

Everyone in the audience laughed.

"Well that's one way to ride a dragon!" Tuffnut said.

"We should totally try that some time," Ruffnut replied.

"Barf! Belch! What do you think?"

The Zippleback gassed and then sparked, setting an explosion over the twins' heads.

**_(Hiccup struggles to hold on to the tail. As the ground speeds away, Toothless immediately TIPS into an uncontrolled bank and dives. Hiccup sees the folded fin rattling uselessly in opposition to its flared counterpart. Flap as he may, Toothless can't correct his trajectory.)_**

**_(Hiccup reaches for the folded prosthetic and YANKS it open. The flared, fan-like appendage catches the air, stabilizing the twisting tail.)_**

**Hiccup: "It's working!"**

**_(Toothless arcs just short of the water and climbs... high into the air.)_**

**Hiccup: "Yes! Yes, I did it!"**

**_(The dragon glances back at Hiccup, busily holding the tail open while trying to hold on. Whoomp! Toothless throws Hiccup from his tail)_**

**Hiccup: "AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"**

**_(He bounces across the water's surface and takes a dive. Without Hiccup to operate the tail, Toothless does the same, plunging in a massive cannonball. Hiccup resurfaces, roughed up, but beaming. Toothless appears seconds later.)_**

**Hiccup: "Yeah!" _(he leaps up in the water, two fist pumps in the air)_**

"That is pretty amazing, Hiccup," Astrid said, "that you came up with that tail fin entirely on your own. Toothless is incredibly lucky that you found him."

"Thanks," Hiccup replied, blushing at the compliment.

**Gobber: "Today is about teamwork."**

**_(ON A DOUBLE-WIDE DOOR. Gas seeps through the cracks. It BLASTS OPEN. A cloud of smoke engulfs the ring, swirling around the paired-up teens. Astrid with Ruffnut. Snotlout with Tuffnut. Fishlegs with Hiccup. All carry buckets of water, poised to throw them.)_**

"Alright! Zippleback baby!" Tuffnut exclaimed. He high fived his sister.

**Gobber: "Now, a wet dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, the other head lights it. Your job is to know which is which."**

"Easy," Ruffnut said. "I ride Barf, Tuffnut rides Belch. Duh!"

The twins high five again.

**_(The smoke encircles the teens, cutting them off from each other. The teens LISTEN and WATCH for any sign of the dragon.)_**

**Fishlegs: "Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, crushing its victims in its – "**

**Hiccup: "Will you please stop that?"**

**_(ON SNOTLOUT AND TUFFNUT Moving nervously through the fog, back to back.)_**

**Snotlout: "If that dragon shows either of his faces, I'm gonna—" _(spotting an approaching shape, terrified)_ "-There!"**

**_(Snotlout and Tuffnut HURL their water into the fog.)_**

**Astrid: "Hey!"**

**Ruffnut: "It's us, idiots."**

"This was so ridiculous, you guys," Astrid rolled her eyes. "We look so bad out there in the ring!"

**Tuffnut: "Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a dragon."**

**Snotlout: "Not that there's anything wrong with a _dragon-esque_ figu-"**

**_(Astrid PUNCHES Snotlout in the face. Ruffnut THROWS her water bucket at Tuffnut, knocking him to the ground. Tuffnut is snatched back into the fog, presumably by the Zippleback)_**

"Okay which one of you did that?!" Tuff pointed to Barf and Belch. "Belch? It was you wasn't it. You just _had_ to claim your rider early, didn't you?" He glared at the dragon head, and Belch just cackled.

**Astrid: "Wait."**

**_(They FREEZE. A tail SWEEPS out of the fog, taking them down. Their buckets spill.)_**

"Masters of Stealth," Ruffnut said proudly.

**Tuffnut: _(comes running out of the fog holding his face)_ "Oh, I'm hurt! I am very much hurt!"**

"You were not hurt," Ruffnut shoved her brother.

"Oh yeah? Says who?" He shoved her back.

They wrestled back and forth in their seats.

**Fishlegs: "Chances of survival are dwindling into single digits now..."**

**_(A Zippleback head emerges out of the smoke.)_**

"Barf!" Ruffnut cheered.

**_(Fishlegs hurls his water at it, completely dousing the head. It leers and opens its mouth, spewing gas into the area.)_**

**Fishlegs: "Oh. Wrong head."**

**(GAS FLOWS around their legs. Fishlegs flees in a panic.)**

**Gobber: "Fishlegs!"**

**(Beat. A clicking sound comes from behind them. Two dragon heads appear out of the smoke in front of Hiccup, one letting out sparks from its mouth)**

**Gobber: "Now, Hiccup!"**

**_(Hiccup hurls his water with all his might. It arcs and drops short of the dragon's sparking mouth. The dragon grins, savoring the kill.)_**

**Hiccup: "Oh, come on!"**

"Seriously, Hiccup," Tuffnut said. "You _never_ look scared right before a dragon is going to attack you."

**Gobber: "Hiccup!"**

**_(Beat. The Zippleback hesitates. SNIFFS. Then retreats. The teens get to their feet, watching transfixed. Gobber peeks through his fingers to see The Zippleback backing away from Hiccup. He stands and holds his hands out, as if controlling it.)_**

**Hiccup: "BACK! BACK! BACK! Now don't you make me tell you again!"**

**_(The Zippleback retreats through its door and into its cave, hissing.)_**

"_Oh_ you used the _eel!_" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"We were so confused," Astrid laughed.

"Yep," Tuff said. "That is definitely a Barf-and-Belch eel reaction right there."

"Scared out of their minds," Ruffnut laughed.

**Hiccup: "Yes, that's right. Back into your cage."**

**_(Hiccup slyly OPENS his vest, revealing the spotted smoked EEL from earlier. He TOSSES it inside the door)_**

"Awesome," Ruffnut grinned.

"What a wuss," Snotlout agreed.

**Hiccup: "Now think about what you've done."**

**_(He SLAMS the door shut. Hiccup turns to the teens and Gobber. They stare, slack-jawed)_**

The young Vikings all laughed at their own reactions on-screen.

"Tuff! Look at your face!" Snotlout cackled.

"So confused," Ruffnut agreed.

"You knocked Astrid speechless, Hiccup!"

**Hiccup: "Okay! So are we done? Because I've got some things I need to... _(Hiccup jogs out of the ring, past the speechless group.) _Yep...see – see you tomorrow!"**

Snotlout laughed and leaned back, his hands behind his head. "This is so much fun," he said. "Hiccup, how did you manage to keep a straight face through any of this?"

"I know," Fishlegs agreed. "The irony is unparalleled."

"Now it is," Hiccup said. "But at the time it was a whole lot more frightening. I was terrified someone would find Toothless and do something to hurt him. I had to be really careful because I didn't want people to be asking lots of questions."

"Oh yeah that worked out really well," Snotlout said sardonically. "That way we could all be completely surprised during the _disaster_ that was your final exam."

"Hey lets not go there yet!" Astrid interrupted. "We're doing this chronologically. Let's keep going with the moving images!"

* * *

_A/N: Please please please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Here is a nice long one for you guys! Enjoy!_

* * *

**_(Hiccup is in the blacksmith shop. He cuts and stitches leather, draws and shapes steel. He works by candlelight. An overhead shot reveals what he's building: a harness, complete with handles and foot pedals.)_**

**_(The scene shifts to the cove the next day. Hiccup appears before Toothless, holding the new saddle. Toothless runs off as Hiccup chases him down.)_**

**Hiccup: "Hey!"**

Astrid laughed.

"It took me probably an hour or longer to get that saddle on him the first time," Hiccup responded to her reaction, grinning. "Such a stubborn dragon," he glared at Toothless.

"What do you expect?" Astrid replied. "He's _your_ dragon."

**_(Cut to the cove the next day: Toothless and Hiccup are zooming over the pond. Hiccup holds a long rope in his hand, attached to the prosthetic tail. He yanks on the rope, sending Hiccup flying of the dragon's back.)_**

**Hiccup: "Whoa!"**

**_(Cut to the blacksmith shop again. Hiccup adjusts the harness and uses a metal clamp to affix himself to Toothless' saddle.)_**

**_(Cut to a grassy field: Hiccup and Toothless zip through the air – his foot is hooked through the rope this time, which is attached to the prosthetic tail. They crash-land in an open field. Hiccup recovers to find Toothless still rolling around in the tall grass. Hiccup discovers that it's a patch of 'dragon nip.' Toothless writhes on his back, tongue wagging, in complete bliss.)_**

**_ (Transition to the training ring: Hiccup holds a handful of dragon nip in his hand. A Gronkle comes zooming towards him, but stops when he smells the nip in his hand. Hiccup presses it up to the Gronkle's nose and the dragon immediately goes weak in the knees. Hiccup drops the handful of dragon-nip to the ground. The Gronkle goes down with it, whimpering and blissful. From Gobber and the recruits' point of view, Hiccup is controlling the Gronkle with no more than a limp arm.)_**

"_That's_ what you did!" Astrid and several of the other teens groaned.

"Dragon nip!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "Of course!"

**_(The recruits walk home together, surrounding Hiccup and bombarding him with questions. He squirms and invents an excuse.)_**

**Hiccup: "I left my axe back in the ring." _(He turns and hurries back.)_ "You guys go on ahead and I'll catch up with you."**

"You never caught up with us," Astrid said.

"He had a date with a _dragon!_" Tuffnut said. "Why would he want to hang out with us when he could hang out with Toothless?"

**_(Astrid sneers, suspicious.)_**

"Oh man, Astrid was really pissed," Snotlout said.

"I think someone is jealous," Ruffnut taunted in a sing-songy voice.

"No," Astrid insisted. "I was suspicious. I knew something was up because nothing was making sense. I thought he was cheating!"

"Which… he kind of was," Fishlegs said.

**_(Image cuts to the cove. Hiccup scratches Toothless behind the ear, causing him to relax and fall over. Hiccup stares at his hands in amazement)_**

**_(Back to the training grounds: An angry Deadly Nadder approaches Hiccup, and he quickly drops his mace. Just as Astrid moves in to strike, Hiccup performs his special scratching technique, which sends the Nadder down. Astrid looks at him in amazement and confusion.)_**

"You know I really should thank you for that, Hiccup," Astrid said. "I didn't know it at the time, but I would have hated to have hurt my girl here," she gave Stormfly a rub on her neck.

**_(Later in the great hall: Hiccup sits down at a table to eat. The other recruits notice him and move over to his table to talk to him - leaving Astrid alone. She slams her mug down on the table in frustration)_**

"Jealous…!" Ruffnut taunted again.

"Not!" Astrid snapped. She was too far away too hit her, but she wanted to.

**_(At the cove the next day: Hiccup is using a mirror-like object to create a patch of light on the ground. Toothless claws and chases the light patch like a cat chasing a laser pointer.)_**

"Oh he used this on the Terrible Terror," Fishlegs said. "That was really cool!"

**_(Cut to the training grounds the next day: A beam lifts from the door of another dragon pen.)_**

**Gobber: Meet the Terrible Terror.**

**_(A tiny, pint-sized dragon steps out and moves toward the recruits.)_**

**Tuffnut: Ha! It's like the size of my—**

**_(The terror leaps onto Tuffnut's face and knocks him to the ground)_**

**Tuffnut: Get it off! Get it off! Oh! I'm hurt, I am very much hurt!**

**_(Hiccup stops the Terrible Terror with the same light-patch trick he used earlier with Toothless. The tiny dragon retreats back to its cage. The teens approach him yet again as Astrid looks on with suspicion.)_**

**Tuffnut: (rubbing his nose) Wow, he's better than you ever were.**

"Oh yeah, _that's_ gonna help," Snotlout said to Tuff. "Isn't it obvious that she's pissed off enough?"

"Hey, I'm never afraid to say out loud what everyone else knows to be true," Tuff declared.

"I was not jealous!" Astrid insisted again. "I was… being competitive," she justified.

"Sure you were," Hiccup whispered with a smirk, quietly enough that she couldn't hear.

**_(Cut to the forest: Astrid furiously hurls her axe at a nearby tree. She notices Hiccup walking by in the distance, carrying one of his trademark harnesses. She quickly tries to follow, but he loses her in the woods. She HUFFS, frustrated, slamming her fist against a rock.)_**

"Hiccup, you really were driving her nuts," Fishlegs laughed.

**_(Back in the cove, Hiccup straps a newly designed harness onto Toothless. With Toothless tied to a nearby post with a rope, Hiccup rides him in the air - while stationary. Toothless looks like a giant kite tied to a tree stump. He adjusts a pedal, causing Toothless to land, and marks a note on his 'cheat sheet.')_**

"Alright!" Fishlegs said. "Now it's starting to come together."

**_(Then, the rope breaks and the pair CRASH into a tree. The harness line is stuck on the saddle hook.)_**

"Or not!" Ruffnut refuted.

**Hiccup: "Oh, great."**

**_(Berk at night: The streets are empty save for a lone Viking who crosses Hiccup's path.)_**

**Viking: "Hiccup."**

**_(Hiccup nods, trying to look casual. Once the coast is clear, he covertly steers Toothless into the Blacksmith's stall.)_**

"You brought him into the _village?!"_ Astrid exclaimed. "Do you realize how _dangerous _that was?!"

"We were attached to one another, Astrid," Hiccup said. "Literally! What was I supposed to do?"

**_(Toothless PRESSES himself inside, rooting through stuff and making a racket. Astrid, walking nearby, is alerted.)_**

"Oh my gosh, he was _in there_ with you?!" Astrid's jaw dropped. "I cannot _believe _I was that close to figuring you out!"

**Astrid: "Hiccup?"**

**_(Hiccup FREEZES. Then frantically tries to pry the ring off the saddle hook. It won't budge.)_**

**Astrid: "Are you in there?"**

**_(Too late - she's right outside. ON ASTRID walking along the outside of the Blacksmith's. Hiccup JUMPS OUT the window and CLOSES the shutters behind him. Hiccup's harness line is stretched through the window, still attached to Toothless' saddle.)_**

**Hiccup: "Astrid. Hey! Hi Astrid. Hi Astrid. Hi Astrid."**

**Astrid: "I normally don't care what people do, but you're acting weird." _(Toothless spots a nearby sheep and makes a move toward it. As a result, Hiccup is suddenly PULLED TIGHT against the window shutters.)_ "Well, weirder."**

"Well its no _wonder_ you were acting _weird,_" Astrid contradicted her past self. "You had a _dragon_ in the _shop_ with you!"

"Yeah, I agree with Astrid," Snotlout said. "As far as horrible plans go, that is _probably_ the worst one I've seen." He paused. "Unless you count the _catastrophe_ that was your final exam."

"Snotlout!" Hiccup and Astrid both yelled.

"What? Its like Tuff said. I'm just saying out loud what everyone else knows to be true."

**_(He gets PULLED THROUGH the shutters. They snap back in Astrid's face. Astrid reopens them and finds nothing but an empty stall.)_**

**_(In the distance, Toothless and Hiccup slip off unseen.)_**

"You have to admit Hiccup does get lucky a lot though," Fishlegs pointed out.

**_(A lone, battered ship is pulled into a slip, overloaded with equally battered-looking men. They disembark to a crowd of onlookers, looking like a team of hometown heroes who just had their butts kicked. Gobber hobbles through the MUMBLING crowd to find Stoick - last to disembark and glowering with battered pride. Stoick lumbers past Gobber, leaving him staring at the trashed ship.)_**

**Gobber: "Well, I trust you found the nest at least?"**

**Stoick: "Not even close."**

**Gobber: "Ah. Excellent."**

**_(Gobber follows Stoick up the ramp and snags his duffle bag with his hook appendage, sharing the burden.)_**

**Stoick: "I hope you had a little more success than me."**

**Gobber: "Well, if by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then... yes."**

**_(Stoick stops. What does that mean? A group of merry villagers rush past.)_**

**Viking 1: "Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is so relieved."**

**Viking 2: "Out with the old and in with the new, right?!"**

**Viking 3: "No one will miss that old nuisance!"**

**Viking 4: "The village is throwing a party to celebrate!"**

"Geez," Snotlout said. "Your dad's gonna think you're dead!"

**_(Stoick is stunned, overwhelmed by the insensitivity. He turns to Gobber.)_**

**Stoick: "He's... gone?"**

"I knew it!" Snotlout exclaimed.

**Gobber: "Yeah…"**

"And that answer does not help matters," Fishlegs laughed.

**Gobber: "…. Most afternoons. But who can blame him? I mean the life of a celebrity is very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans."**

**_(Stoick is doubly confused.)_**

**Stoick: "Hiccup?"**

**Gobber: "Who would've thought, eh? He has this...way with the beasts."**

"That's one way to put it," Astrid chuckled.

"That conversation explains a lot," Hiccup commented. "Thanks a lot, Gobber," he rolled his eyes to himself.

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked.

"Just something that happened later," he replied, waving it off. "We'll probably see it happen in a bit."

**CUT TO: Toothless and Hiccup soar through a perfect blue sky. Billowing clouds rise like mountains. The ground seems miles below them.**

"Is this your first flight?" Astrid asked excitedly.

"Alright!" Snotlout exclaimed. "I bet he's going to be terrible."

"You realize that this is, like, a historic event?" Fishlegs said, elated. "We are witnessing the very first flight of the very first dragon rider, ever!"

"I bet he's going to fall off and fall thousands of feet through the air, crashing headfirst into the ground!" Tuffnut declared.

"That would be awesome!" Ruffnut agreed.

Hiccup accidentally let a loud laugh escape and he quickly covered up his mouth.

Astrid looked at him wide-eyed. "No way. You did?!"

Hiccup couldn't keep himself from smiling, confirming their guess was indeed correct. Or mostly correct, anyway.

Astrid rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm.

**Hiccup: "Okay there bud, we're gonna take this nice and slow."**

**_(Hiccup checks a leather cheat sheet, clipped onto his harness. Inscribed upon it are several tail positions and their pedal position equivalents.)_**

**Hiccup: "Here we go. No here we go...position three, no four."**

"Nice cheat sheet," Snotlout snickered.

**_(He presses the pedal, causing the tail to flare. They roll off into an arcing bank, gloriously lit by the late afternoon sun. Hiccup tucks tight against his neck, thrilled that his new harness and vest are holding. The foot controls make the tail appendage quick and responsive. He watches Toothless' every fluctuation, trying to match it with the prosthetic. Hiccup sizes up a target - a towering arch of stone, rising from the sea.)_**

**_Hiccup: Alright, it's go time. It's go time._**

**_(They dive toward it, lining up to pass through the arch.)_**

"Yeah!" Snotlout cheered. "That looks so cool. Hey can I have a turn on Toothless tomorrow?"

Both Hiccup and Toothless shot him a dirty look.

**Hiccup: "Come on buddy. Come on buddy!"**

**_(They zip through the arch. A perfect maneuver.)_**

**Hiccup: "Yes, it worked!"**

**_(The triumph is short-lived. They smack into one of several sea stacks as Hiccup tries to keep up with the turns.)_**

Snotlout and the twins laughed.

"Hiccup, spastic on a dragon?" Snotlout exclaimed with a smile. "I never thought I'd see the day. This is awesome!"

**Hiccup: "Sorry."**

**_(They hurtle into another rock pillar. Toothless grumbles.)_**

Snotlout and the twins laugh harder.

"Really guys?" Hiccup sighed.

**Hiccup: "My fault." _(Toothless swats him with his 'ear' plate.)_ "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it." _(referring to the cheat sheet)_ "Position four, no three."**

**_(They pierce the clouds. For the first time, Hiccup can see the whole of the island below them. It shrinks with every passing second.)_**

**Hiccup: "Yeah! Go baby! Yes! Oh, this is amazing! The wind in my..." _(He spots the leather guide tearing free in the turbulence.)_... "CHEAT SHEET! STOP!"**

**_(Hiccup grabs frantically for the airborne sheet and NABS IT before it's carried out of reach. Toothless, however, obeys the command and suddenly STOPS beating his wings. As they slow to a stop, Hiccup goes weightless. The rings of his vest float off of the harness hooks. Hiccup suddenly finds himself detached, free-falling.)_**

The teens groaned.

"Couldn't have seen that one coming," Astrid gave Hiccup a look.

Hiccup just shrugged.

**Hiccup: "Oh gods! Oh no!"**

**_(Without Hiccup, the tail loses control. Hiccup and Toothless spiral downward. Toothless FIGHTS to get back under Hiccup.)_**

"THIS. IS. EPIC!" Tuff cheered.

**_(Hiccup extends his arms and legs, giving himself as much surface area as he can.)_**

**Hiccup: "Alright, okay. You just gotta kinda – angle yourself. No, no...come back down towards me. Come back down—OW!"**

Astrid watched the screen nervously. "Gods, Hiccup. How much did you actually fall?" She asked. It seemed like they were losing altitude rather quickly. "Do you always have to cut it so close?"

Hiccup gave her an ambiguous whine.

"Of course you do," Astrid huffed, crossing her arms.

**_(After a few more misses, Hiccup finally GRABS HOLD of the harness and manages to lock in - just in time to pull Toothless out of his dive... barely shy of the tree tops. They careen past the wooded cliff and directly into a treacherous slalom course of jutting sea stacks. Toothless screams.)_**

"Toothless looks like he wants to curse you out so bad!" Snotlout laughed. "Way to go, Hiccup!"

**_(Hiccup pulls the cheat sheet from his teeth and attempts to check positions. It flaps violently in the turbulence, making it impossible. With no time to think, Hiccup throws it away and steers Toothless' tail on instinct... with perfect intuition.)_**

"All that for the cheat sheet, and then you discard it anyway?!" Snotlout exclaimed. "What's the point of that?!"

**_(Together, they manage a tight, hair-rasing series of split- second turns, making it to the open water, unscathed. Hiccup takes a breath and glances back at the death-defying obstacle course, now safely behind them. He beams, relieved. He sits back and throws his arms up in victory.)_**

**_Hiccup: _"YEEAHHH!"**

**_(Toothless concurs with a happy SQUEAL and a fireball.)_**

"Whoohoo! Go Hiccup!" Tuff cheered.

"That was the most epic flight ever!" Ruff clapped her hands.

Hiccup sat back in his chair, trying not to be too blatantly smug. He grinned at Toothless, who gargled happily. Astrid smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow – Hey!" He glared at her. "Come on. You have to admit it was pretty cool."

"_Don't_ make a habit out of it," she warned.

**_(Hiccup's glee turn to dread as they fly directly into it.)_**

**Hiccup: "Ah, come on."**

**_(Hiccup and Toothless lounge on a sprawling, deserted beach, snacking of freshly caught fish. As Hiccup cooks his over a fire, Toothless suddenly regurgitates a fish head. Hiccup smirks with forced politeness.)_**

**Hiccup: "Uh… no thanks." _(gesturing to his fish on a stick)_ "I'm good."**

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs grinned. "Chilling with the dragons!"

**_(Several Terrible Terrors land like seagulls, hissing and nipping at each other as they approach Toothless' pile of fish. One grabs the regurgitated fish head and drags it away. Another attempts to steal it from him. They face off and blast fire balls at each other to settle the fight. Hiccup and Toothless watch, amused. That is until.., Toothless spots one of his fish leaving the pile. A stealthy Terrible Terror is exposed as the thief. They tug on the fish, and it snaps back into Toothless' mouth. He swallows it back tauntingly.)_**

Several of the audience members laughed.

"Fish fight!" Tuffnut joked.

**_(Irate, the little dragon paws at the ground and blast Toothless. He opens his mouth, the gas hiss comes, and Toothless fires a tiny flame straight into its mouth, causing the gas to backfire into the little dragon. It coughs up smoke and staggers away, looking ill. Hiccup laughs.)_**

"Awesome!" Tuff exclaimed.

**Hiccup: "Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" _(Hiccup throws the hapless Terror his freshly cooked fish.)_ "Here you go."**

**_(The appreciative little dragon gulps down the meal and approaches Hiccup cautiously. He curls up next to him. Hiccup is amazed.)_**

"Aw," Astrid smiled. "Hiccup, you're just a dragon magnet, aren't you?"

"Oh I really wish someone had walked in on this," Snotlout said. "I mean, imagine if someone just walked by on the beach!"

Tuffnut laughed. "Hiccup would just sit there all chill and be like, 'hey,'" Tuff sat back and imitated Hiccup.

Everyone else laughed as well.

**Hiccup: "Everything we know about you guys is wrong."**

"Man, I can't believe we ever fought these guys," Tuffnut said. "Dragons are the chillest creatures I've ever seen."

"And then they blow stuff up!" Ruff added.

The twins laughed and butted helmets again.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you liked it! Let me know your reactions in the reviews :)_


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